Federal authorities are investigating apple sauce packets sold in 22 states that contain elevated levels of lead. the investigation centers around whether there pouches were intentionally contaminated, various sources report.

“The Food and Drug Administration is investigating elevated lead levels in apple cinnamon applesauce pouches sold under three brands — Weis, WanaBana, and Schnucks — and distributed by Amazon, Dollar Tree and other online retailers,” reports Patch.com.

“All three of the now-recalled applesauce brands were made at an Austrofood plant in Ecuador, where FDA officials announced last week they were focusing their investigation. The agency said health officials in Ecuador found that cinnamon from Austrofood’s supplier had higher levels of lead than the country allows. The company, Negasmart, is facing sanctions while officials there track down the source of the cinnamon, the FDA said,” Patch reports.

States where products have been recalled include California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

I never much liked apple sauce anyway, but here’s one more reason to put it aside for now.